Quantifying costs and benefits of buffel grass

Summary

Through an initial literature review, focus groups and interviews, this project aims to quantify the impacts of Buffel grass on sustainability and the environment, and to assess from both environmental and pastoral perspectives, the relative benefits and costs of different approaches to management. The results will provide improved management recommendations that are credible to land owners and managers as well as to environmental policy makers.

Aims

The objective is to work with agencies, regional groups and individuals to:

- Document the environmental, social and economic benefits and costs of buffel grass invasion to both conservation and pastoral sectors
 

- Identify and describe current and potential management objectives, strategies and operational methods and their relative benefits and costs
 

- Determine the perceptions of key stakeholders to different objectives, strategies and operational methods for dealing with buffel grass
 

- Identify the potential for change in perceptions, attitudes and values and determine pathways for disseminating information about buffel grass and its management or control
 

- Develop specific recommendations, based on our findings, on how to improve the management of buffel grass, and disseminate them as effectively as possible
 

- Provide a general approach to improve management of contentious weed issues that considers both costs and benefits and the sociological barriers to change

Background

Buffel grass is a major environmental weed with the potential to establish in over 60% of mainland Australia. It is also highly prized by many pastoralists as an exotic pasture grass for livestock. Within these two conflicting views there is a spectrum of opinions on the relative benefits and cost of managing impacts of buffel grass in a sustainable way.

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